The present disclosure relates generally to drilling, and more particularly to an electromagnetic perforation device used in drilling.
The conventional design and construction of a wellbore is well known by those of skill in the art. Open hole portions are drilled into a reservoir formation, and a well casing or liner is run into the open hole portions and cemented in place in order to isolate the formation and stabilize the wellbore. One or more perforations are then created through the well casing into the reservoir formation to allow oil or gas to be removed through the well casing from the reservoir formation.
Traditionally, perforations through the well casing into the reservoir formation are created using perforating guns equipped with shaped explosive charges. A perforating gun may be lowered into the well casing on wireline, tubing, or coiled tubing to the location in the well casing where the perforations are desired. The shaped explosive charged on the perforating gun is then detonated, which produces an extremely high pressure jet that penetrates the well casing and the reservoir formation and allows the oil or gas in the reservoir formation to enter the well casing and be extracted from the reservoir formation. The use of explosive charges to create the perforations results in debris in the system, and carries with it all the dangers and costs associated with the shipping and handling of explosives.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved device for creating perforations in a well casing.